GAME 17
Dayton (10-6, 4-1) vs. Duquesne (11-5, 2-3)
Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025 | 6:00 p.m.
Pittsburgh, Pa. | UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse (3,500)

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NOTHING BUT NYLON
- The Duquesne women's basketball team returns to UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse when it welcomes Dayton on Wednesday, Jan. 15, for an Atlantic 10 matchup, with the opening tip scheduled for 6:00 p.m.

- The Dukes are coming off a pair of road victories, most recently a dominating 97-55 victory at George Washington on Saturday afternoon. Four players finished in double figures, led by freshman guard Mackenzie Blackford.

- She posted a season-best 20 points on six three-pointers which is also a season-high. Blackford finished 6-of-10 (60.0 percent) from behind the arc while shooting 7-of-11 (63.6 percent) form the floor. Kiandra Browne netted a career-high 17 points with three triples while totaling four rebounds and four assists. Browne carded 14 of her 17 points in the second half, going 4-of-6 from the field, with two treys.

- Jerni Kiaku and Nadia Moore each finished with 13 points while Kiaku totaled three boards, two assists, and two steals. Moore knocked down three three-pointers in the win.

- Duquesne set the tone early with a red-hot start, hitting its first five shots to seize an 11-2 lead in the opening minutes. Freshman Nadia Moore spearheaded the surge with five points during the early burst.

- Despite a Revolutionary timeout, the Dukes maintained their momentum, unleashing a 16-5 run to extend their lead to 27-7. Freshman Mackenzie Blackford ignited the stretch with back-to-back three-pointers, followed by a layup from junior Jerni Kiaku. Moore added a three-pointer, while classmates Fatou Sane and Kiaku chipped in with buckets to complete the run.

- By the end of the first quarter, Duquesne had built a commanding 30-9 advantage. The Dukes kept up the pressure in the second quarter, stifling George Washington's offense and holding them to just 3-of-13 shooting (23.1 percent) from the field.

- Junior Andjela Matic fueled an 11-5 run to open the period, with Blackford and senior Megan McConnell each knocking down triples to push the lead to 41-12. After a brief scoreless stretch from both teams, Duquesne closed the half with a 44-16 lead.

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The Series vs. Dayton – A series that has been back-and-forth, Wednesday's contest will be the 50^th meeting between the Dukes and Flyers. Dayton holds a slim 25-24 lead in the all-time series but Duquesne has won the last three meetings, including a 70-42 victory last season in Dayton, Ohio. A trio of Dukes finished in double-figures, led by Nae Bernard. She finished with a game-high 16 points on 7-of-12 (58.3 percent) shooting from the floor with a pair of three-pointers. Bernard netted nine of her 16 in the second half, where she was 4-for-6 from the field. Jerni Kiaku finished with a season best 13 points while going 4-of-5 from the charity stripe. Kiaku registered three rebounds and one assist while Ayanna Townsend was the third Duke to finish in double-digits. She tallied 10 points on 5-of-9 shooting while collecting seven rebounds, three blocks, and two steals in the victory. The trio ended a combined 16-for-30 from the field to lead the Dukes. Junior Megan McConnell put together an all-around performance, with eight boards, seven points, and six assists while Amaya Hamilton and Lauren Wasylson finished with six points each.

Scouting The Flyers – Coming in on a four-game winning streak, Dayton sits tied for the conference lead with a 4-1 mark in league action while producing a 10-6 overall mark. The Flyers most recently claimed a 79-61 victory over La Salle on Saturday. Ivy Wolf and Arianna Smith pace Dayton, each totaling double figures. Wolf ranks third in the conference in points per game (18.0) while sitting second in tripes per game (2.94) and total three-pointers (47). The senior guard has posted back-to-back 20-point efforts while dropping 33 points in a victory at VCU. Smith is posting 10.9 points and a team-leading 9.1 rebounds per game. She ranks fifth in the league in boards per contest while sitting sixth in total caroms (137). As a team, Dayton ranks third in the Atlantic 10 in three-point defense, holding their opponents to just 27.5 percent.

George Washington Remains - For the 10th time this season, Duquesne's defense forced 20 or more turnovers, disrupting George Washington's offense throughout the game. The Dukes caused 26 turnovers and recorded 13 steals in the dominant victory. In the first half, Duquesne stifled the Revolutionaries, holding them to just 6-of-22 shooting (22.2 percent), including a mere 21.4 percent (3-of-14) in the opening quarter. The Dukes forced 10 turnovers in the first quarter alone and 18 by halftime, securing their largest halftime lead of the season at 44-16. Senior Megan McConnell reached a significant milestone in the win, surpassing 300 career steals. With five steals on Saturday, she became just the fourth player in Duquesne history to achieve this feat, now boasting 302 career takeaways. Junior Jerni Kiaku and freshman Fatou Sane also contributed defensively, each collecting two steals to round out the Dukes' impressive performance.

Freshman Phenom - Following a productive week, freshman guard Mackenzie Blackford was named Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week, announced by the league office on Monday. The Ohio native had an outstanding week, averaging 16.5 points and 2.5 rebounds while shooting an impressive 62.5 percent (10-of-16) from the field and 60.0 percent (9-of-15) from three-point range. Against the Hawks, she tallied 13 points, shooting 3-of-5 (60.0 percent) from beyond the arc and going a perfect 4-of-4 from the free-throw line. Blackford hit a clutch three-pointer to extend the Dukes' lead to four with 2:19 remaining in the fourth quarter and sealed the game with two free-throws in the final three seconds. She capped off the week with a career performance against the Revolutionaries, scoring 20 points on 6-of-10 (60.0 percent) shooting from three-point range and 7-of-11 (62.5 percent) overall. She also added a rebound and an assist in the game.

300 – Heading into Saturday's game at George Washington, senior guard Megan McConnell was just four steals shy of reaching 300 career takeaways—and she wasted no time making history. McConnell recorded three steals in the first quarter alone and achieved the milestone at the 6:41 mark of the second quarter. She finished the game with a team-high five steals, becoming only the fourth player in Duquesne history to surpass 300 career takeaways. The Pittsburgh native continues to lead the nation in steals, averaging 4.31 per game, with a season total of 69—the second-highest in NCAA Division I. McConnell has showcased her defensive prowess this season with six games of five or more steals, including two career-best performances of nine takeaways. Over the last three games, she has tallied nine, six, and five steals, solidifying her role as the defensive anchor for the Dukes.

Bench Presents – A key component of the Dukes' success this season has been the impressive contributions from their bench. Duquesne's reserves are averaging 23.4 points per game, ranking second in the Atlantic 10. The bench played a crucial role in last week's two road victories, contributing 21 points at Saint Joseph's before erupting for a season-high 47 points at George Washington. Freshmen Mackenzie Blackford and Nadia Moore have been standout performers off the bench. Blackford is averaging 7.4 points, 1.4 rebounds, and 1.1 steals per game while shooting 39.0 percent from beyond the arc. Meanwhile, Moore is adding 6.9 points and 2.4 rebounds per game, shooting an impressive 48.8 percent from three-point range. Additionally, sophomore Raymi Coueta and freshman Faith Walker continue to provide valuable minutes for the Dukes, particularly with their strong defensive contributions.

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